Music

God is that song. The one whose rhythm effects my whole body and I have to move. That infectious melody that I can't hear enough times so I continuously hit repeat to experience it again. The volume on my stereo won't go loud enough to do it justice. I want to crawl into the beat and live there. I want it to pulse through my veins. I want to eat it and have it live in my belly. He is. God is, that song.

Open Season

My son came to me dismayed this morning and said "They are killing my people." I inquired further and he mentioned the recent shooting in Carolina. It is just another in a string of violence against people of color in this country. I haven't heard much about this incident, but shared his sorrow as he filled me in on the details.

Then it occurred to me, as I sat silently before the Lord, that the enemy has declared Open Season on black people. I am witnessing violent acts with my own eyes not seen since the tumultuous era marked by the fight for civil rights in the sixties. And while I realize that the underlying causes of this issue have never been resolved, things seem to have come to a boiling point, once more.

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The key is understanding WHO the enemy is. It's not gun-toting, folks. It's not the police. It's not even white supremacists. The enemy is Satan and his demonic host. It is he who has declared open season and he will don whatever disguise is necessary to accomplish his mission. He has similarly declared war on family.

The only answer and our only hope is found at the cross. We are engaged in an ancient spiritual battle which has already been won. Nothing short of accepting that victory and turning our hearts to The Savior, who conquered Satan, will do.


"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" Ephesians 6:12

I am Trayvon Martin.

I was sick yesterday when breaking news reported that George Zimmerman had been acquitted and then proceeded to show a clip of his emotionless face as the verdict was read on his behalf. Utterly. Sick.
I am sick that our nation is so broken and so divided by the colors of our skin. I am sickened by the understanding that human life has been so cheapened that defending our "stuff" is more important than preserving another life. I am sickened that our justice system is not at all just. And, I am saddened because regardless of what the jury ruled in this case, one young man is gone and another man was validated in the taking of that life. I am sure that he and the jurors will have to wrestle with that one for the rest of their lives.

I am Trayvon Martin. I have been watched and followed, and assessed based on the color of my skin and the texture of my hair. My husband is Trayvon Martin. He has witnessed women clutching their purses closer as he boarded the bus, clean-shaven and well-dressed headed to high school. My son is Trayvon Martin. Clad in any one of his hoodies while listening to Sho Baraka proclaim the goodness of God on his ipod, the idle passerby would never figure him for the scholar and godly young man that those who actually know him understand him to be. The truth is, regardless of race or gender, we are all Trayvon Martin to eyes not knowing nor understanding instead simply reacting to what they have been socialized to see and believe.

I pray for George Zimmerman that he might come to know the peace of knowing God, and put his trust in Him rather than firearms. I pray for the Martins. May they sense God's arms around them as never before and be bathed in the comfort the he alone can give. And I pray for this nation. Oh how we need a savior. How very much do we need The Saviour

"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28

Ambassador

am·bas·sa·dor (amˈbasədər)
Noun
1: an official envoy; especially : a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment.

2: A person who acts as a representative or promoter of a specified activity.

-Lord forgive us for representing you so poorly.
-Lord forgive us for pursuing our own agendas instead of yours.
-Lord forgive us for getting taken in by the love of money.
-Lord give us your eyes, ears, and hearts for a sick and dying world.

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us..." 2 Corinthians 5:20

Life at Sea

My life over the last few years has included an interesting chain of events that I could never have imagined. These years have been saturated with job loss, sickness, death, and financial distress. I have attended an unprecedented number of funerals, visited and prayed for countless loved ones with critical health situations, and am currently experiencing some wonky issues in my own body. Being one for neatness and order, I am astounded by the realization that despite the unceasing turbulence of late, I am more content than I have ever been. God's peace has constantly sustained me and I have discovered life at sea--

Away for terra firma, in the unfamiliar, with the uncertainty of the stormy sea dashing at will against my little boat, I have found that even there my saviour's love extends to me. I am at peace, resting in Him who has never failed me and continues to meet my every need.

" Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39

Integral

This morning, I was reflecting on something that my nephew said when my husband and I presented him with a bible as one of his graduation gifts. He remarked that he will use if he gets into trouble (perhaps not verbatim, but certainly something to that effect). I countered, to use it even when he's not "in trouble." He is headed off to college and we wanted to make sure that he had the right road map.

His thinking is not unusual. God's word is often viewed as an aspirin to be taken when one is in pain and needs relief. It's a quick fix remedy to be kept on hand in case of emergency. Little thought is given to aspirin when one is not in need. Without diminishing the awesomeness of God's word, I prefer to treat the bible as a vitamin: A necessary, daily, life-giving, source of nutrients that will prevent me needing the aspirin in the first place. It enhances all that concerns me, and keeps me functioning at an optimal level.

In a similar vein, I am a natural hair devotee and read several blogs on the topic. The method that I currently use to care for my hair has resulted in the longest, fullest, healthiest hair that I've ever had in my life. (Another blessing from my aforemention cousin, Kim. Thank you, cuz!) In addition, it is the easiest, lowest maintenance system that I've ever encountered. For me, it's like a miracle. And, my experience is not unique. There are blogs and blogs of women who, like me, have found amazing lengths and vitality by doing with their hair what I have had done. So, I am always surprised when I read that someone is thinking of returning to prior methods-- while expecting the same result.

Just as some view the Word of God (and God at large, for that matter) as an aspirin, others view Him as merely the provider of a push start. They just want enough to get going and then cut ties once they have momentum. There is an assumption that a touch, rather than an ongoing relationship, is all that is needed. Both scenarios allow God to be saviour, but certainly not Lord. He is a handy tool, not worthy of any thought outside of moments of need and/or distress. He is an aspirin, or jumper cables.

I have found my need to be greater than that. While I am grateful that he has shown me his hands (providing both pain relief and emergency roadside assistance, when needed), I hunger for his face: the intimate knowledge of who he is and, in turn, who he created me to be. I desire the growth and vitality that comes from ongoing, extensive contact.

"I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing." John 15:5

"Are you so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?" Galatians 3:3

Dodgeball

I wrote a few months ago about how Jesus is misperceived by the culture (See "Warrior"). People tend to equate him with Santa Claus or other such benevolent, fictional personalities that really just want everyone to be happy and live a harmonious existence with everyone else. He was just a good man with some great ideas. A community organizer.

With this revisionist Jesus, spiritual warfare also gets dumbed down.(Think of the classic scene in which both a diminutive devil and an angel are perched on opposite shoulders, of some uncertain putz, each directing him as to a course of action.) Lately, the Christian community seems to have the audacity to believe that we can slightly alter the rules of the game to a kinder, gentler sort of play (no hitting above the waist), change the name (I've heard both "spatial" and "ga-ga"now used to describe the game that I knew as a child as "dodgeball"), and hope that more people will want to play. Is mankind so conceited that we actually believe that it's all about us rather than realizing that we are involved in an ancient war that we did not start and are unable to finish? Against powers and principalities against which we are unmatched in our own strength? (see Ephesians 6:12-18). We will not shake our opponents' hands at game's end, commend them on their strategy, and retire to the clubhouse to discuss the highlight reel over refreshments. What's at stake here is much greater. And this is for keeps.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesian 6:12 KJV

3-D

About a decade ago, 3-d images were all the rage. It seems that you couldn't enter a shopping mall without seeing a group of individuals, gathered around a picture while contorting themselves into all sorts of unnatural postures to find the hidden treasure. To my untrained eye there was never anything more than a canvas containing a million tiny pixels. But, if I observed the crowd long enough, some one would inevitably see the image, in their delight exclaim, "Oh, I see it. It's a B-2 bomber!", and then try to help everyone else see it. ("Close your left eye, and assume the Karate Kid pose.") To me, however, it remained mere dots on paper. I was one of the poor slobs that could never see it, try as I might. And, I really wanted to see it.

That's how it seems to be with faith in Christ. Once you've had a moment of "seeing" like Paul on the road to Damascus (who's seeing was ironically accompanied by the temporary loss of his eyesight) and Isaiah who's encounter with the living God made him also see himself for who he really was, there is no going back. Faith reveals the hidden treasure that once seen, there is no ability to unsee.

Though, I missed out on countless opportunities to see 3-d images leap off of canvases and share in the excitement of having seen them, I am so thankful for the privilege of daily encountering the living God who continues to reveal himself to me (no contortion, required). Like those individuals at the mall, I want everyone to see.

"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
Luke 10:25

"For the message of the cross if foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
1 Corinthians 1:18

Quiet

Last year, I wrote that I love January for a variety of reason that I then went on to list in detail. It's still true. I love January!

After the clamor of the holidays (which I love equally) on that first day that school resumes and I send my children off to continue learning, there is a stillness and quiet that sweeps over the house and envelopes me like a warm blanket. It is luxurious and delicious; almost palpable. It never ceases to delight me. And after having filled my belly with the fellowship of friends and family, taking tours of other views from other heads, I am ready for January. For in such moments, thick will quietness, I am most present in his presence. That is the ultimate peace on earth.

Warrior

I had an interesting conversation with someone today that got me thinking about how the world perceives Jesus. While opinions differ as to whether he was merely a prophet or divine (maybe even the son of God, as alleged) the general consensus seems to be that Jesus was a gregarious, do-gooder whose life's mission was to embrace everyone, make them feel good about themselves, and bring social harmony. That is a palatable Jesus. One who, having been flesh himself, will in the end surely have compassion on fellow do-gooders, whether they chose to accept him as Lord and saviour or not.

This not a new development. People have always had misconceptions about Jesus and his purpose. In fact, in Mathew 16, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" To that inquiry he then, as now received a variety of answers.

Jesus himself disputes the notion that he came to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony by growing apple trees and honeybees and snow white turtle doves. Instead he says,

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."" Mathew 10:34

Those are not the words of a cuddly community organizer. They are fighting words. Jesus was not here to win a popularity contest. He came to strike a death blow to his enemy in the war for his beloved: mankind. His death on the cross was the ultimate act of kamikaze. Jesus is a warrior.

Not only does he clarify his agenda, but he calls out to the rest of us to choose a team,

"For I have come to turn 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Mathew 10:35-36

He is not asking us to kinda-like-him-be-okay-with-him, he demands all or nothing. He is the love of our lives, or he is nothing at all. Though he defeated his (and our) foe, we still get to choose. As POWs, we can allow our loving saviour to untangle us from the the things that continue to wage war against our souls and will eventually destroy us, or we can choose to go it alone. As unpopular as it is, if we to want the freedom that Christ offers, we must be willing to submit to his authority to obtain it.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark 12:30